Personal Injury News: Pick Of Last Month: August-2023
$30M Rewarded To The Mother Of A Boy Beaten To Death
A jury gave $30 million to the mother of a 6-year-old kid who was murdered by a former LAUSD worker in 2019.
The defendant beat the youngster to death the day after Christmas in order to murder him. A jury awarded the boy's mother $30 million earlier this month after finding that the school system was mostly to blame.
The defendant became a family friend while working as a coach for the after-school program at Normandie Avenue Elementary School. Prosecutors said that while the youngster was away for the holidays, he was being looked after at the defendant's flat. Attorneys claim that is when the defendant hit the youngster brutally.
The defendant would allegedly ask parents at the school for permission to watch their kids in his Downey flat, which is against district policy, according to the family attorney.
According to the family's counsel, the defendant struck the youngster in the chest with a closed fist 10 to 13 times, and the blunt force damage he had as a result of that attack caused him to pass away.
The mother moved into her new Long Beach house that day, so she left her son with the defendant. The defendant was accused of killing the kid and assaulting him.
The mother filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District after her son passed away, claiming that the defendant was hired carelessly by the district.
Although this tragedy occurred off campus and over the Christmas break, LAUSD says that all students' safety and wellbeing are still its top concern. Los Angeles Unified plans to consider all of its options in relation to the jury ruling in this legal case.
The accused in this case entered a no contest plea to second-degree murder last year. He is currently in state jail, receiving a 15-year to life sentence.
LAUSD argued that it shouldn't be held accountable for a homicide that took place off-campus and on private land.
The district has also claimed that it was not aware that the defendant kept in touch with the child and his mother after moving from Normandie and ceasing to work for the district.
El Paso County Reaches $3M Settlement Over Inmate's Death
Following a deal with the county, the estate of a man discovered dead at the El Paso County jail will earn several million dollars.
According to the investigation, the 36-year-old guy was discovered unconscious during a normal welfare check on September 27, 2021, approximately 8 o'clock.
According to officials, efforts to resuscitate the guy by deputies and the jail's medical personnel were futile. According to a statement from the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, the guy died from a seizure problem linked to epilepsy, polypharmacy, or the concurrent use of numerous medicines to treat a condition, and COVID-19.
The man's estate is anticipated to receive a total of $3 million as part of the settlement with the county, $2.5 million of which will be paid by Gemini Insurance business, the county's excess insurance carrier, and Berkley Public Entity, a New Jersey-based insurance business. El Paso County will cover the remaining $500,000, according to the statement.
The settlement was approved by the county commissioners in a 3-0 vote, and there was no discussion. The county stated that it did not admit any involvement in the man's death and that it just agreed to the payment to minimize legal expenses, according to meeting papers.
A man who said he was assaulted by a schizophrenic cellmate after officers refused to transport him to another place when he was a county prison inmate last year filed a complaint against the county in June, among other cases the county has faced recently.
After a five-year court struggle, the county in April agreed to pay $25,000 in damages to a man who was imprisoned for four months after posting bond after being arrested by immigration officials.
Quadriplegic Man’s Family To Get A $30M Settlement
According to court documents, United Airlines and the family of a quadriplegic man who was put in a vegetative condition during a deplaning event have reached a $30 million settlement.
After one day of trial, a settlement with the man's family was negotiated and made public in federal court in San Francisco. The incident started when the guy, who was using a wheelchair, ventilator, and tracheal tube, and his family were getting off a United Express aircraft bound for Monroe, Louisiana, on February 8, 2019, where they were going to attend a funeral.
The guy was allegedly "aggressively" and "forcefully" shoved by a ramp supervisor, forcing him to lurch forward before slumping backward with his feet dangling on the ground.
The victim's mother reportedly called for assistance after hearing him mutter, "I can't breathe," but a gate agent allegedly "giggled" and informed a doctor who volunteered to aid, "we got this," causing the doctor to sit down. After then, the sufferer suffered a heart arrest.
According to court documents, the individual, who was 39 before the event, now has "significant" brain damage, cannot talk or consume solid meals, and will likely only survive to the age of 31-1/2.
The plaintiffs claim that the settlement is "fair and reasonable" and that it has to be approved by the court. The man has been cared for by them at their Pleasant Hill, California, home.
According to a statement from United, "our top priority is to provide a safe journey for all our customers, especially those who require additional assistance or the use of a wheelchair." "We are happy to announce that this matter has been resolved."
Requests for response from the victim's family's solicitors went unanswered right away. The settlement would provide $3 million for incidental expenses and another $12 million to cover legal fees.
Family Of Dead Student To Get $25M In Wrongful Death Suit
The family of a Dearborn Heights Annapolis High School student has now sued the school system and two district employees for wrongful death as a result of the student's suicide.
Plaintiffs in the wrongful death action brought on behalf of the family of a 14-year-old girl include the principal of Annapolis High School and the superintendent of the Dearborn Heights School District.
In the case, district officials are accused of failing to give the essential treatment and intervention that could have been able to save the woman's death. The lawsuit is demanding $25 million.
A counsel for the family said that despite warnings that something was about to happen, the family did nothing. On May 1, the lady committed suicide.
The woman's counsel claimed that the principal was aware of the woman's suicide ideas before she passed away. The family's counsel disputes the lawsuit's assertion that the principal should have sought medical assistance for the student or informed her parents despite knowing that she was impaired by marijuana.
The principal and superintendent allegedly visited the woman's family at their house 30 minutes after she passed away, and the principal allegedly revealed to the family that he was aware of the woman's marijuana usage and expressed worries for her safety.
The attorneys said, "The suicide would have been prevented if the school had implemented those preventative measures, notifying police, notifying the parents, or even keeping her on school property."
Federal court has been notified of the case, but no court date has been set.
Father Of Baby Killed In Abuse Case Wins $2.6M
A father sued the Broward Sheriff's Office for the wrongful death of his 6-month-old daughter, and a jury awarded $4.5 million in damages.
The daughter, who passed away on October 28, 2016, from blunt force trauma, was not adequately protected, according to the father's claim against BSO Child Protective Investigations.
The defendant, who was found guilty of aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter of a child, had been given custody of the infant by the mother. According to the plaintiff's attorney, the father was made to relive the awful events in his daughter's life over the course of the trial in order to get justice.
Despite being accountable for 58% of the wrongdoing, BSO is facing a $2.61 million judgement. The father made the decision to ask the Florida legislature for a claims bill in order to recover the balance of the judgment because Florida law only allows for a maximum of $200,000 in tort recovery from a governmental institution per individual.
The infant was two months old when she was treated for choking at the West Boca Medical Centre Satellite Emergency Centre. Makenzie sustained a black eye, according to a subsequent report from the North Broward Medical Centre. She was back in the Northwest Medical Centre with fractures in her wrist and leg around 15 days before she passed away.
The complaint claims that although a doctor at Northwest Medical Center's emergency department made the decision to contact an abuse hotline, a BSO investigator gave the child the all-clear to return to Pompano Beach. The infant was back in the emergency room of the Northwest Medical Centre about 11 days later with fractures to her head and both femurs. She didn't make it.
The baby's death was not the mother's fault, according to BSO officials. The Florida Department of Corrections was housing the accused at the DeSoto Work Camp near Arcadia after he received a 14-year jail term. He is expected to be released in 2031.